Wheelers for All
As a club we pride ourselves in giving back to the community, and supporting local charity work is a core part of our mission. Many members have been giving their time to Wheels for All in Kingston for some time, helping out at their weekly track sessions. We asked long-time volunteer Alan Grant to paint a picture of the important work the charity does.
Throughout its 100 years, the Kingston Wheelers has a rich history in helping local worthy causes. In recent times, notable contributions have been made to the Kingston Hospital Charity and the Full Cycle Community Bike Project, with the latest organisation to benefit from the help of the club being the Kingston chapter of Wheels for All.
Wheels for All is a nationwide charity whose purpose is to bring the joy of cycling to members of the community who might not otherwise get to experience the simple of thrill of turning pedals and feeling the wind against their cheeks.
The Kingston operation is based out of the Weir Archer Athletics and Fitness Centre at Kingsmeadow, where every Monday and Wednesday a volunteer team loaded with members of the Wheelers rolls out an impressive array of cycles onto the track, ready for the enthusiastic band of regulars who turn up in numbers, rain or shine, to get their weekly dose of cycling fun.
Note the use of the word cycles rather bicycles, as this fleet of some 30 machines only incudes a pair of traditional two-wheelers, the rest of the squadron is made up of tricycles, three- and four-wheeled side-by-sides, tandems, wheelchair carriers, hand cycles and frame runners.
The KWCC members currently involved in Wheels for All are Keith Alfred, Vince Howley and Alan Grant. Keith and Alan have been part of the team since the operation rolled into action in August 2022, while Vince joined the crew in October 2023. Fellow Wheeler Chris Campbell was also a member of the inaugural volunteer pool until that pesky thing called work got in the way of his participation.
Many of the Wheels for All participants are individuals but most of the riders arrive as members of organised groups. There is a heavy emphasis on organisations serving those with special needs, from schools and colleges to adult day centres and residential homes. Regulars also include members of the Kingston Association of the Blind, while other individuals benefiting from the Wheels for All sessions are those recovering from strokes and physical injuries/surgeries, where cycling can help with their rehab.
The cycling all takes place on the athletics track at the sports centre. On Mondays, the sessions run from 10am till 3pm, with individuals/groups able to book a one-hour block, while the hours of operation on Wednesdays are from midday till 3pm. Participatory numbers average around 40 to 50 on Mondays, with 20 plus riders on Wednesdays.
Riding around a 400-metre track for an hour might sound a bit boring, but Wheels for All isn’t about performance cycling, it’s about inclusivity, and the multi-lap, enclosed format allows for a safe environment.
The participatory numbers listed above are based on “official” registrants, but most of the riders arrive with carers and/or family members, and they are also encouraged to grab a cycle too. As the label says, Wheels for All. Some of the busier sessions will see up to 30 people on the track or hanging around chatting at the “pit area”. There’s always a happy buzz about the place.
Many of the participants at Wheels for All have never had the opportunity to ride a bike due to a physical or intellectual disability, or maybe it’s a development condition that’s holding them back, but the specially adapted cycles are designed to address this. And most importantly, they are fun to ride.
Tricycles allow those with balance issues to cycle; side-by-sides are great for people who might not have the strength or confidence to power a cycle on their own; tandems are perfect for those with vision loss (a sighted rider, or pilot, sits up front); and hand cycles allow individuals with lower limb problems the ability to power round the track.
Last, but not least in the fleet are the wheelchair carriers, which feature a ramped platform at the front of a big, sturdy tricycle. While the wheelchair users might not be able to physically pedal, these special machines, often piloted by a Kingston Wheeler, can go pretty fast round the track, providing a real sense of speed.
The primary role of the Wheels for All volunteers is to help the cyclists and their carers, offering advice on which cycles are best suited to each person, and often supporting them by riding with them or beside them, but there is also a rewarding aspect to the role, as long-time Wheeler Keith explains.
“I’d retired from work and I was looking to help the community and Wheels for All obviously has a lot of affinity with cycling, so it seemed like a good choice. But I also get a lot out of it, just as I think the other Wheelers do. Just watching people enjoy getting on a cycle is great,” says Keith, who often takes out a K4 Club Run on a Sunday.
Vince agrees.
“People that aren’t normally able to get out cycling can come here and join in and enjoy the great outdoors. I really enjoy volunteering with Wheels for All because I can visibly see how the simple act of cycling brings a lot of happiness,” says Vince, who also helps out at the Epsom and Ewell branch of Wheels for All on Thursdays.
Watching the progress of the regular cyclists is another hugely rewarding aspect of the role for the volunteers. One popular character who comes to Wheels for All with an adult day centre, sat in the stand on his first visit, not interested in cycling. But the next week he was coaxed into riding one lap on a trike, the following week a few more, and now his record is 21 laps and no coaxing is required. Indeed, it’s difficult to get him to stop some weeks. And that is a typical story.
An especially heart-warming episode happened recently with a lovely, but rather nervous elderly gent who for two years was content riding four or five slow laps on a side-by-side tandem with his carer or one of the volunteers. He’d often talk about how he used to ride a bicycle but that those days were behind him. The other day, though, he asked the team if it would be possible to just sit on one of the two-wheelers. Minutes later with a little bit of help he gingerly pushed off and presto, he was cycling again. The smile on his face was precious.
Many of the participants will stick to the same cycle every week, and that’s fine, whatever makes them happy. But others are more adventurous, especially the two lads from a residential home for young adults who make a point of enthusiastically riding on just about every cycle in the fleet during their trips to the track.
Then there’s the 91-year-old partially sighted gent, who used to whizz round the track on the back of a tandem, but now he’s happiest chatting away to Keith as they do their laps on the side-by-side hand cycle, which is way more taxing than the tandem.
For many of the regulars, this social aspect to Wheels for All is just as important as the physical exercise. Indeed, many friendships have been built up among the volunteer team and the cyclists.
The good work the Wheelers and the other members of the Wheels for All team do for the local community hasn’t gone unnoticed, with the crew being named as the Volunteer Team of the Year at the 2024 Kingston Council Annual Sports Awards during a ceremony at the Guildhall in November.
Simon Denton, the Wheels for All co-ordinator who runs the sessions at Kingsmeadow, is much appreciative of the role the Wheelers play.
“Volunteers really are the lifeblood of our sessions. Without them the sessions just can’t happen. Being able to have volunteers that understand and share a passion for cycling makes, not only my role easier, but brings a level of enthusiasm which our participants need as this helps them gain confidence and flourish,” says Simon. “The Kingston Wheelers have been pivotal in providing this support through volunteering, along with members donating to fundraising campaigns, bringing further meaning to the phrase the ‘cycling community’.”
While the current pool of volunteers is big enough to run the sessions at Kingsmeadow, new volunteers are always welcome. So, if any Wheelers, or non-Wheelers for that matter, are intrigued by what they’ve read here and have an hour or two to spare on a Monday or Wednesday, come on down to the Weir Archer Centre to see what it’s all about. Contact Simon at simon.denton@wheelsforall.org.uk for further details, or just ask Keith, Vince or Alan next time you see them on a club run or social event.
